o GOA EMERGES CASH-RICH: Total deposits in various scheduled commercial banks in Goa is more than Rs 17,000 crore. Of this, the total amount in term (fixed) deposits itself is more than Rs 13,000 crore. An important characteristic of high deposits in Goa is the significant contribution from non-resident emigrants (NREs) through remittances, which accounts for around 33 per cent of the deposits, according to an official document released recently. Taluka-level mobilisation of documents reveal that three coastal talukas -- Salcete, Bardez and Tiswadi -- account for more than three-fourths of the total despots. During the last two decades, the number of banking offices has increased by over 77 per cent. Currently, scheduled commercial banks have 451 branches in Goa and the population covered per bank office is 3070 persons. (H)

o Two killed in separate accidents in Goa. (NT)

o Lairai zatra, with fire walking, at Shirigao.(NT)

o HCL offers Leaptop notebook for Rs 27990.Conditions apply!

o Regional Plan 2011 is a farce, says Matanhy. (H)

o Doctors fear improper use of anti-retroviral drugs. (H)

o YouthCong chief Girish Chodankar serving lobbies: Churchill. (H)

o Milagres feast at Mapusa celebrated with traditional pomp. (H)

o Nine file papers for Goa Union of Journalists posts. (H)

o Goa, a home to several species of orchids. Daniel D'Souza. (H)

o Did Goa police allow Dawood's nephew to slip out? (GT)

o Hospicio stinks, feature in GT.

o Poor kids get a cruise out on the Santa Monica. (GT)

o Dabolim action panel flays move to acquire land. (GT)

o Potable water for Canacona soon. (GT)

o 'Fire at Berger Paints factory due to spark while filling oil'

o Labour laws not implemented in true spirit -- Sirsat. (GT)

o DISCOVERY OF CHAMBER BURIAL CAVES IN GOA: The discovery of chamber burials, a megalith site at Volant and at Chicalim in Mormugao taluka of South Goa district, has once again confirmed the existence of human habitation on the west coast in Goa since prehistoric times. (M S Deshpande in NT)

o NIO'S HELP SOUGHT TO CONSERVE HORSESHOE CRAB: The Defence Research and Development Organisation has sought the help of scientists at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) Goa to protect and research the endangered horseshoe crab spotted on the Orissa coast. (NT)

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CLAY WORKSHOP FOR KIDS: By Verodiana from May 2 to May 6, from 10 am to 11.30 am for children 6 to 10 years. Communicare 241 2616. 9822 586058. Sera Flor Building, Alto Porvorim (Behind Virginia Park).

Dr. John Dayal <catholicunion@gmail.com> of New Delhi's IP Extension [Phone: 91-11-22722262 Mobile 09811021072] informs about a plan to document Christian monuments in India.

Dayal writes: You must be aware of the Indian National Trust for Arts and Culture Heritage, INTACH. Set up several decades ago... the only Christian building to benefit from it is the St James church in Delhi.

I am a founder life member of INTACH and have impressed on them as also the Ministry of Culture and of Railways among others, the importance to see that Christianity's 1900 year cultural wealth, wherever available, does not vanish in so called modernization, or vandalism and government projects etc.

INTACH has now set up a core committee to help it document Christian culture and heritage in India in a scientific manner. Other core committee members include retired senior police officer Maxwell Pereira, and former diplomat Eric Gonsalves.

We seek your help in making this documentation as comprehensive as possible. Please get in touch with me if you know personally, are or aware of in your parish or neighborhood, the existence of *Historical churches of any period noted for their founder, architecture, design, historicity etc *Historical graveyards inclde War graveyards, places where well known saints or other historical and cultural figures are buried *Rare bibles, crosses and artifacts from different periods in History *Statuary and paintings, stamps, coinage of any period which depicts facets of Indian Christian history *Illustrated Bibles of any period, language etc *Cultural accoutrements -- marriage clothes of old Malayalee denominations, for instance. Including family portraits qualifying as heritage *Other historic buildings, including hospitals, forest dispensaries in tribal areas etc....

This documentation will help us preserve the more fragile components, including oral history, old music of hymns and dance forms. For your information, a few films have been made on Christianity in India -- including one by me made for the Foreign Office in the Nineties. But there are not too many books on this subject. Particularly pictorial books. I intend to produce some.

The New Delhi YMCA did an exhibition some years ago in collaboration with the national museum and the national Gallery of Modern Art, curated by me and Mark Clive of the YMCA New Delhi on the Visage of Christ in Indian Art. It was a critical success. The INTAC project will fist produce a comprehensive directory, and may be followed up with books, documentaries, cards etc. -- John Dayal. Click here for more information.

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Lynn Barreto Miranda <lynn@barretomiranda.com> of Margao has this to say: Can you please forward the below email to any [free software and] open source software developerís lists you are on?

We are currently working on developing a movie scheduling software. If anyone has any info on how to superimpose/overlay a PowerPoint/Scala (scala.com) file onto a video (mpg, avi, dat) file, we will be grateful for the info, any color can be used as croma for overlaying.¬ Anyone interested working part-time on the project are also welcome.

I have downloaded a free copy of the above and have found it extremely interesting. It does not take long to download and it contain 87 pages packed with stories of Goa of the 1950's. It is in pdf format. And is a MUST-READ by anyone with the slightest interest in the great land of Goa.

A Collection of Goan Voices: Stories by People of Goan descent edited by Susan Rodrigues has just been published. As it is a no royalty option anyone can download the book for free or order a copy from the website: www.lulu.com where you will be charged for the book and postage. http://www.lulu.com/content/273359

[And, Lulu.com is a great place where you can publish your own books or ebooks!]

Miguel Braganza <miguel12@sancharnet.in> announces the Botanical Society of Goa is going ahead with the Konkan Fruit Fest soon. Panjim-based BSG can be contacted via its secretary on mobile 982124032 and its president 9822982676:

The Konkan Fruit Fest has been held in Panjim city on the traditional first weekend of May for the three consecutive years. During the first two years it was held at the Campal Heritage Precint near the Dr. F.L.Gomes Garden. It was then shifted to the riverside promenade along the Dayanand Bandodkar Marg, opposite the old GMC Building.

This will be the venue for an encore this weekend. The focus this year is on Jamun (Eugenia jambolana or Syzygium cumini) as fresh fruits, juices, syrups and wines besides seed powder for the control of the lifestyle disorder, diabetes.

Government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), enterprising fruit growers, traders and processors, entrepreneurs and the common citizens areworking in tandem to promote the fruit crops, their cultivation, processing and marketing along with the technologies to do so scientifically and profitably, writes Miguel.

One can see the ICAR, State departments, equipment manufacturers, research scientists, fruit processors and growers interact along with students and the general public in a festive environment where everyone gains and no one loses. Shivani Arolkar from Kudal will be marketing juices and mangoes as she has done in Goa during the last three years. Bhushan Nabar will send boxes of mangoes for sale. RFRS-Vengurla will display technology and make plants of new varieties available for sale. There will be fruits and fruit products from all over the Konkan for the competitions and sale. Spot entries are always accepted at the KFF and many a person joins the fruit eating competition at the very last moment. Fruits are such a healthy temptation!

The fruit fest has gone beyond just mangoes, the pride of the Konkan. It has on display the lesser known fruits like the Central American Zapota that we call chikoo, the Brazilian Cashew that we call Caju, the Peruvian Guava that we rightly call Peru, the Indonesian Java Plum or jamun and Indiaís very own Garcinia or Bhirand/Kokum. Citrus fruits like Pumelo and Sweet limes that remind one of Spain and Japan as well as exotic mangosteens and rambutans, jacks and lakoocha are also there on display. The Corporation of the City of Panjim has continued as the Festival Partner since the inception of the fest. In fact, the idea of the Konkan Fruit Fest came from Ashok Mogu Naik, the former Chairman of the erstwhile Panjim Municipal Council and grew with the interaction with Dr. Ajit Shirodkar of the Western Ghats Kokum Foundation and our very own Dr. Heman Y.Karapurkar.

In the very first year, the Directorate of Agriculture-Goa and its network of Zonal Agriculture Offices used their extensive farmer contact to boost the competition segment, which is the mainstay of the Konkan Fruit Fest. Each of the ten Zonal Agricultural Offices brought in entries from farmers and provided logistical support.

REMEDIOS FERNANDES OF SHA DRINKS, CUNCOLIM: Journalist Armstrong Augusto Vaz <armstrongvaz@gmail.com> pens a tribute: Last week, Cuncolim bid farewell to one the leading businessman from the area. Remedios Fernandes was instrumental in starting Sha Drinks, a soft drink company from Socrecotto Demani and currently his two sons are holding reins over the business. The Fernandes household has had added over the years another two more industries to the family busines, and the Cindy brand of ice creams have created its own niche in the market in the short time since it was introduced. My sympathies with the Fernandes family and to two of my friends Charles Fernandes and Rony Fernandes and also to brother-in-law Douglas Rodrigues. Ė Armstrong Vaz, sports journalist now based in the Gulf.

TRIBUTE TO ANDREW RODRIGUES, NAVELIM: A. Veronica Fernandes <averonicaf806@hotmail.com> writes: Kuwait Konknni Kendr deeply mourns the sad demise of Andrew Rodrigues, elder brother of Elvino Rodrigues, president of KKK, who died at his home in Mandopa, Navelim in Goa.

- Andrew, after serving a few years in the UAE, settled down at his home place where he started his own business. While doing so he took active part in the village and Goan affairs and supported the cause of Konkani. He was a very dedicated and sincere person for the causes of his locality and Goa. --A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait Konknni Kendr, Kuwait.

A lot of you have surely heard of Longuinhos Restaurant in Goa. I fondly remember the good ole days when my Mom used to take us to Margao as a special treat and we always had lunch at Longinhos which was the best part of my whole Margao shopping experience. They now have a major resort in Colva. Here are some mouth watering recipes that are posted on Longuinhos website.

Wash and soak the rice in water for half an hour. To prepare stock, simmer the chicken bones in 20 cups of water. To improve the taste of the stock, you can add a roughly cut carrot, onion, a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, and a couple of garlic flakes (do not add salt).

Cut the chicken into cubes. Slice the onions, tomatoes (remove seeds) and the garlic finely. Heat oil in a pan, fry all the sliced ingredients till the onions are slightly browned. Add the rice, chicken and cloves and fry for a while till the rice begins to stick slightly to the pan.

Stir the stock (about 12 cups) into the pan as well as salt and cook on a low fire with the lid on. Alternatively, if using chicken stock cubes, add water to the fried ingredients and the cubes. Add more salt if necessary. When the stock is almost dry and the rice is cooked, remove from the fire. Garnish with sliced boiled sausages, French beans, carrots, peas and quartered hard-boiled eggs.

We need your help to promote Goanet, a volunteer-driven network. To submit news, events and event schedules or to share information with fellow Goans across the globe, send a short mail to fred@goanet.org. Discuss the news. Send your views to goanet@goanet.org

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